Daisy Chains
by Trillian Astra
Summary: This is my take on a postrescue fic, featuring a few couples Jate, Jun, C&C and their various children. As well as Sawyer as a single parent. It basically follows on from Regrets. Please read, review and be nice.
1. Claire

**Disclaimer I don't own Lost or any of its' characters or storylines. But I did come up with all the kids except Aaron and Clementine.**

**Author's Note This is the first part in my new series, a post-rescue setting featuring various Losties' children. Pairings are Jate/C&C/Jin&Sun, and Sawyer as a single parent. Please let me know if my portrayal of Aaron is realistic for a seven year old boy, and any other comments will be welcome. I'll be updating this and adding new chapters at (hopefully) regular intervals.**

It was seven years to the day since they had been rescued from the island, and Claire Littleton-Pace woke up as early morning sunlight streamed through the windows of the lovely home she shared with Aaron, Charlie and their son Jake, who was five years old now. She shifted under the duvet, then slowly got up and pulled on a dressing gown from the chair next to the bed. She glanced over to Charlie's side of the bed, but he just rolled over and carried on sleeping. Claire smiled to herself and went to Aaron's room to wake him up for school. She knocked softly on the door, then pushed it open.

"Aaron, honey? You awake?"

The only answer she received was a moan from under the covers.

"Aaron, come on, you have to get up for school now."

"But Mum, I don't want to."

"Well, honey, you have to. But if you're up and dressed in, oh, five minutes, maybe I'll give you something special for lunch. Deal?"

"Okay."

"Good. Five minutes, remember" she said as she left the room and shut the door. As she walked to Jake's room, she smiled to herself again as she heard noises from Aaron's room that suggested a seven-year-old boy jumping out of bed and finding clothes.

She found Jake just waking up as well, so she helped him into his clothes – although he insisted he could do it himself.

Next stop was the kitchen downstairs, where she got out bowls, spoons, a box of cereal and a bottle of milk, laying them out neatly on the table just as Aaron came hurtling down the stairs.

"Can I have my treat Mum? Pleeease?"

"Well, you could have some of the cereal with sugar, or you could have a chocolate bar in your lunch, or you could have some ice-cream when you get back from school."

"Ummmm…. ice-cream!"

"You sure?"

"Yes, I want the ice-cream."

"Okay then. Now, sit down and eat your breakfast. Do you want me to help?"

"Mum! I can fix cereal myself now. I'm not a _baby_."

"Of course. I'll go and check on Jake and Daddy, you stay down here and eat your breakfast."

Claire left her son shoveling cereal into his mouth, as she went back upstairs. She looked in on her and Charlie's bedroom, but the bed was empty and she could here splashing sounds coming from their en-suite, so she guessed he would be down soon. Then she went to Jake's room and found him dressed, but playing with his toy dinosaurs on the floor. She picked him up, protesting, and finally got him downstairs and eating his breakfast.

Half-an-hour later, the boys were fed and ready for school, and Claire had fixed their lunchboxes and was getting them into the car. When they were both strapped into their carseats, she slipped into the driver's seat and started the car. Just before she pulled out, she turned around in her seat.

"Boys, do you remember what day it is today?"

Aaron's forehead creased in thought. "Uh…"

"The party…"

"Oh, yeah, the party's tonight! Cool!"

"After I come and pick you up from school, we'll go straight home instead of going to the store, and when we get there Uncle Jack and Aunty Kate will be there."

"Yay!"

Claire dropped her sons off at their elementary school, before heading for the supermarket to pick up the last bits of party food that they needed for the gathering that afternoon.

Later that day, Claire headed back to the school and collected Aaron and Jake to bring them home. As they pulled up outside the house, she recognised the SUV that Jack drove and Sawyer's Camaro parked on the driveway, and Kate was outside the SUV helping her own children out of the car. Claire parked, and undid Jake's seatbelt while Aaron climbed out of the car and ran over to Kate and her own son Chris, who was just a year younger than Aaron.

Claire walked over to Kate more slowly, holding Jake's hand, but Kate ran over to meet her. "Claire, how are you? It feels like ages since we've seen each other."

"I know, I never thought a few months could seem so long. And look at you – positively glowing, I'd say."

Kate blushed a little, and looked away, trying to avoid her friend's questioning gaze. "Kate? You're not…. Are you pregnant again?"

Kate nodded shyly, her chesnut hair covering her face. "Yeah. Only a few months though."

"Wow, this is great news … I guess it's a good thing I didn't get too much alcohol for today. Oh, who else knows? Just so I don't spoil anything."

"Just me and Jack. And you, obviously. We haven't even told Chris and Libby yet."

"Well, maybe you can do that tonight."

The two friends headed into the house, with Jake running ahead, and found everyone else inside. Jack and Charlie were standing by the piano, discussing Charlie's now very successful record shop, Jake had found Libby and they were playing together on the sofa, while Chris and Aaron had already run outside to the swingset, and Sawyer had been roped into pushing them. Clementine – now a very pretty twelve-year-old – was sitting on the sofa with the younger kids, engrossed in a book. Claire smiled when she saw that, thinking to herself that Clementine had obviously inherited her taste for reading from her father.

The final family to arrive at the little mini-reunion were Jin and Sun, who were driving down from upstate with their three children. When they did arrive, the children – six-year-old Miya and three-year-old twins Kami and Dai – came running in ahead of their parents, while Jin escorted Sun into the house slowly and helped her to an empty chair.

Claire was the first to greet them. "Sun! Oh, I'm so glad you could make it… oh." She looked at Sun's rounded abdomen. "Again?"

Sun nodded. "Yes, Claire. I am pregnant again. I can hardly believe it."

Claire took her friend to one side, whispering "It's not just you, you know. Kate's pregnant again as well, but she's not quite as far gone as you."

"Is she? I did not know. She did not mention anything about it, neither did Jack."

"Yeah, apart from us, no-one else knows, so keep quiet about it. And try to look surprised when they announce it."


	2. The Party

**Author's Note – Here's the next instalment for your reading pleasure. This part has a rather touching little Skate moment that made me upset writing it, so hopefully it's good. As always, reviews (especially nice ones) are always welcome.**

**Disclaimer – I don't own any of this.**

Now that everyone had arrived, they all headed out to the garden. Kate helped Claire carry the plates and bowls of salad and all the little sausage rolls and things you would normally find at a party, and they arranged the dishes on the big trestle table in the garden, while Clementine insisted on helping by carrying the paper plates and plastic cups.

Meanwhile, Jack, Charlie and Sawyer – who had managed to escape Aaron and Chris – were arguing over who should do the barbeque. Charlie thought he should because he was the host, and Jack and Sawyer… well, they never missed an opportunity to argue. The women watched as they argued, stifling laughter. In the end, the argument was settled by Jin pushing them all away and taking over himself. When they saw that he could obviously manage perfectly well by himself, Charlie went inside for a moment and reappeared with three beers. They settled on the patio – still near the barbeque, though – and chatted about work and their respective children.

While this was happening, the children were playing in the garden. Aaron and Chris had run to the end of the garden and appeared to be building a fort, with Jake tagging along and trying to help. Clementine had put her book down, and was sitting crosslegged on the grass, helping Libby and Sun's six-year-old daughter Miya gather daisies to make daisy chains with. When they had a good-sized pile , the older girl tried to show them, but couldn't make it work, so she got up and went over to Kate.

"Aunty Kate?"

"Yes, Clementine?"

"Can you show me how to make daisy chains again? I wanted to teach Libby and Miya, but I can't remember how you do it."

"Okay, I'll show you." Kate got up, leaving Claire and Sun sitting in their garden-chairs talking about Sun's latest pregnancy. She sat down by the little girls, and started a new daisy chain to show them how to make them. As she worked, Sun's other daughter, little three-year-old Kami, toddled over to them and started playing with the daisies they'd picked. When they stopped her trying to eat the flowers, she ended up sitting on Kate's lap and adorned with daisy chains.

It wasn't long before Jin called out – his English was very good now – that the meat was done, so Kate and Claire began rounding up the children. Kate somehow dragged Aaron and Chris away from their half-built fort, also rounding up Jake and Kami's twin brother Dai, who had followed the older boys and was basically getting in the way. Claire, meanwhile, picked up Kami and directed Libby, Miya and Clementine to the benches on either side of the table. When everyone was sitting down, and provided with a plate and a plastic beaker of their chosen drink, Kate whispered to Claire.

"Look, I had a word with Jack, is it okay if we make the announcement now?"  
"Yeah, go on. It's fine."

"Thanks."

Kate and Jack stood up together, and Jack took a deep breath, before saying to everyone "Well, uh, Kate and I have some news. Um, we're…".

He couldn't seem to find the right words, however, so Kate took over.

"What Jack's _trying _to say is that I'm about three months pregnant. We're expecting our third child."

Chris was the first to say something. "Mommy… does that mean I'll have another brother or sister?"

"Yes, sweetie, it does."

"Oh. Can it be a boy this time please?"

"We'll have to wait and see about that I'm afraid."

"Oh. 'Kay then."

Then, Kate and Jack sat down, Kate blushing slightly as everyone congratulated them. Claire told everyone they could start eating, which kept herself, Kate and Sun busy helping their younger children get food. It did not take long before the kids took their plates and went to sit on the grass as they ate, and then the adults returned to their comfortable seats.

Sawyer came over to Kate as she settled into her chair, sitting down next to her.

"So, time for Number Three then, Freckles."

"Yeah. It wasn't planned, or anything… it was just an accident."

"I'm glad for you."

"Thanks… I know it must be hard for you, with Cassidy not being around any more."

"I do wonder, you know, what it would have been like if she was still here, and we had other kids… if Clementine had a little brother or sister."

"I can't imagine what it would be like, raising a child alone. If anything happened to Jack, I don't know what I'd do."

"If anything did happen, you know I'd be there to help you, don't you?"

"Yeah, I know."

"Not that anything will happen. You an' the Doc are going to grow old and look after your grandkids together when ya kids are busy. Nothin' gonna happen to break that up."

"How are you so sure?"

"Ah, well, that's a secret. No-one's allowed to know that, Freckles. I wish I could tell ya, but I can't."

"Sawyer. Come on, stop messing around."

"I know nothing will happen to mess things up for you an' the Doc, because I won't let anything happen."

"I said stop messing around."

"I'm not. I still have feelings for you, Freckles, but seein' as how you're with the Doc now, the best I can do for you is to look out for you and make sure you're okay."

Kate turned to look straight at him, looking into his bright blue eyes, and saw regret, and sorrow, and love in them. "What?"

"I have a lot to atone for, Freckles. Far as I can see, lookin' out for you an' yours is the best way I can do that."

"I had no idea…"

"I know. I never told you because I want you to be happy, and if that means being with Jackass, so be it. Anyway, you've got two kids and another on the way, it's a bit late to change now."

"Not necessarily."  
Now it was Sawyer's turn to be confused. "What?"

"I could leave Jack. I could walk out, take the kids and we could be together."

"Clementine…"

"She wouldn't mind. She loves me, remember? Calls me 'Aunty Kate' and everything."

"Oh, God, Freckles, you have no idea how tempting that idea is. But I couldn't. I've done a lot that I regret in my life, but I've never broken up a family. Especially not a family that are dear friends. I can't. I want to, but then I think about it and I can't. You have a family of your own, and I cannot take you away from that. I'm sorry, and I will always love you, but I can't possibly be with you."

He glanced over at the others, checking that no-one was looking in their direction, and swiftly kissed Kate once, gently, for the last time. "Sorry, Freckles. I'll be your friend, and I'll always be your friend, but I can't be your lover ever again."

Kate nodded slowly, blinking back the tears. "I understand. It was a silly idea, of course we can't run away together."

"Friends?"

"Friends." And he hugged her, holding her close as she wept silent tears into his shirt. When her tears were spent, he got up to get a fresh bottle of beer from the kitchen, and she sat in her chair, discreetly wiping the tears from her face as she watched her children – _her and Jack's children_ – playing in the warm summer sunshine.


	3. Jate Emergency

**Author's Note – Just a short instalment this time, as Kate has her baby. **

**And to clarify something from the last chapter: I am NOT planning for Kate and Sawyer to get together. Her suggestion in chapter 2 was basically a very brief moment of pregnancy-hormone-induced madness, and should not be taken seriously. **

**Anyway, enjoy chapter 3, and please remember to review.**

_Six Months Later_

Six months after the garden party, Kate was in the kitchen getting a glass of water one evening when she felt a pain in her abdomen, and dropped the glass. As it smashed on the floor, her waters broke and she cried out to Jack in the next room.

"Jack!"

He came running into the kitchen, wearing an old t-shirt and sweats. "Kate? Kate, love, what's wrong?" He saw her doubled up and leaning against the counter, and hurried to her side. "Did your waters break?"

She nodded. "Yes. Get me to hospital, Jack, now."

"Um, okay, I'll drive you."

"What about…. Chris… and Libby? You… can't leave… them… alone…"

"Yeah, of course. I'll, I'll take them to Claire's on the way to the hospital. She can look after them."

"Okay… my bag, it's by the door… Don't forget it, Jack."

"Sure, sure. Look, I'm going to go and wake the kids up. Will you be okay?"

"I can hold on… but hurry."

Jack ran upstairs, and soon came back downstairs with Libby in his arms and Chris following sleepily. He put them in the car and strapped them in, then went back inside the house for Kate, helping her out to the car slowly. He got her into the front passenger seat, then slid into the driver's seat. He looked back at the sleeping children on the backseat, then started to car and drove to Claire and Charlie's house.

When they got to the house, Jack jumped out of the car and pounded on the door until Charlie opened it, guitar in hand.

"Jack? What are you doing here, mate?"

"Charlie, please, I need you to look after the kids for tonight."

"Why? What's happened?"

"Kate's in labour, I have to get her to hospital soon. Please, can you take the kids?"

"Yeah, yeah of course mate. I'll put them in the spare room to sleep. They're in the car, right?"

"Yes, come on, hurry."

Jack went back to the car, and lifted Chris out carefully, passing the sleeping little boy over to Charlie while Jack picked up Libby and the bag he'd thrown a few of their clothes and toys into. They carried the children inside, putting them down on the sofa. Almost as soon as they were settled, Jack was heading back to the car. As he left the house, he told Charlie "I'll call you from the hospital. And thanks again, Charlie. I really need this."

Charlie didn't have a chance to reply, as Jack was already in the car, pulling out and speeding away towards the hospital.

Eight hours later, the doors of the delivery room opened as a nurse ushered Jack in. Kate was lying, exhausted, on her hospital bed, and there was a plastic crib at the side of the bed. Jack went over to her, taking her hand in his as he sat down. He reached up to brush a strand of hair away from her face, and as his fingers touched her skin her eyes opened.

"Hey."

"Jack. Where are the kids?"

"They're at Charlie's, fast asleep. They're fine. I'll call Charlie soon, let him know the news."

"Good." Kate was quite drowsy from the painkillers. "We have another daughter, Jack."

"That's great news."

"I don't have a name for her yet."

"Don't worry about it. We'll think of something."

"Okay."

"Hey, Katie, why don't I go and phone Charlie, and let you get some sleep. That sound like a good idea to you?"

"Uh-huh."

"Okay then. I'll be back soon."

Kate did not reply to that, as she was already dozing off, so Jack just kissed her forehead lightly as he stood up, and quietly left, so as not to wake either his wife or his newborn daughter. As he left, he looked at the baby girl in her crib, wrapped in the traditional pink blanket. She was asleep with a tiny hand near her mouth, but he could already see her mother in her.


	4. The New Arrival

**Author's Note: Here's the next chapter for you, and it's a Jate-heavy one again. I hope you like the new baby's name. As always, I do not own this and please review when you're done reading.**

Jack headed for the bank of payphones down the hall from the delivery room, checking his wallet for change. He fed a few quarters into the coin slot, and dialled the number for Claire's house. The phone rang for a minute, then he heard Claire's sleepy voice as she picked up.

"Hello?"

"Hey, sis."

"Jack? Why are you … oh, is Kate okay?"  
"She's fine, Claire. Asleep at the moment, but she's fine."

"And the baby?"

Jack could not keep the pride from his voice. "Another girl. She's beautiful, a really lovely little girl. And she looks so much like Kate its inbelievable."

"That's great."

"Look, Claire, when the kids wake up, could you get them dressed and bring them here? I gave Charlie a bag of their clothes when I dropped them off, that should be enough."

"Yeah, sure. Uh, it'll be a couple of hours, though. You did phone a bit early, they're fast asleep. But I'll wake them up when I get the boys up, and bring them over as soon as I can."

"Thanks, sis."

"Oh, no problem. Anyway, I want to meet my new niece. Does she have a name yet?"

"No, not yet. We'll think of something."

"Is there anything else you need me to do?"

"No, it's fine. Hey, Jack?"

"Yeah?"

"For her name… what about Ana?"

"Ana? You mean, for Ana-Lucia?"

"You did name your other daughter Libby. 'Ana'is a nice name."

"Ana Shepard… yeah, I think you're right. I'll run it by Kate when she wakes up, but I think she'll like it. Although, I'm going to have to add to it and make it Ana _Claire_ Shepard."

"I like it."

"OK, I'll ask Kate later. Bring the kids over in a few hours, yeah? Then Kate can sleep off the anaesthetic and get some more energy back."

"Sure. I'll see you soon."

"Bye."

Jack hung up the phone, before making another call to Chris and Libby's elementary school, leaving a message to say that they wouldn't be in school today. Then he put the receiver back and leant against the wall, closing his eyes for a moment, as he had not relaxed properly at all in the eight hours since he had brought Kate in.

He took a deep breath, and decided to go and get another cup of hospital vending-machine coffee to keep himself awake, before heading back to Kate's room to sit with her.

Three hours later, Jack woke up in a chair beside Kate's bed, and the first thing he saw was Claire, shaking him gently. "Jack? Time to wake up now."

"Huh?... Oh, Claire… What time is it?"

"Uh, 8:15. It's okay, we haven't been here long."

"Oh. Sorry, I didn't mean to go to sleep. I just didn't get a lot of rest last night."

"Jack, it's fine. I know what happens to a guy when his wife is having a baby. You should have seen Charlie after Jake was born, he spent all his time either panicking or asleep."

Jack smiled wearily, and got up so that Claire could sit. He crossed the room to fetch another seat, pulling it over to Kate's bedside. He asked Claire "Did you want a drink or anything?"

"Um, I could do with a coffee, if you're getting some."

"Okay. I'll be back in a moment."

As Jack headed for the nearest coffee machine, Claire asked Kate. "So, how are you?"

"Tired. Just… tired."

"Oh, I know. Twice was bad enough, three times would just be … well done you."

"Thanks." Kate said, smiling. "I've been trying to think of a name for her, but nothing seems right."

"Jack must not have told you… I guess he was too busy sleeping."

"Told me what?"

"When he called me earlier, I had an idea for her name, and he said he would ask you about it when you woke up."

"What was it?"

"Well, I suggested Ana, but he went for Ana Claire. So… what do you think?"

"Ana Claire Shepard… Ana is for Ana-Lucia, isn't it?"

"That's what I was thinking."

"I like it." Kate reached over and picked up her newborn daughter from the hospital-issue crib, holding the baby in her arms. "Hello, Ana Claire Shepard. I'm your mommy."

The baby just gurgled and waved her little arms, as Kate shifted carefully so baby Ana was facing Claire. "And this, Ana, this is your Aunty Claire. And this is your big brother Chris, and your sister Libby. Kids, come closer." She gestured to the kids to come closer. "Say hello to your new sister. Her name's Ana."

Chris came closer, and murmured "…'lo Ana." but Libby had gone shy and was hiding behind her brother.


	5. Seeking Comfort in Unusual Places

**Author's Note: Things are not going well in the House of Shepard. Fortunately for Jack, there's someone on hand for him to talk to. /enigmatic**

Kate was discharged from hospital later that day, and Jack had the day off, so he took her, the children and the new baby home. When Ana was safely tucked up in her new crib, and the older children in the playroom, Jack headed for his and Kate's bedroom, where Kate was lying down to rest. He sat down next to her, gently touching her hand where is rested on the covers.

"Hey, Katie."

"Mmm… oh, Jack. Sorry. I just can't seem to stay awake for long today."  
"That's understandable."

"I guess I should have expected it, really."

"Don't worry about it. You'll get over it, you know."  
"I know. I've got you to look after me." She said as she smiled at him.

"Yeah, you have. And you're going to have me looking after you for a while, I called the hospital and they gave me some time off to stay home with you."

"That's great."

"Yeah." Just then, they were interrupted by baby Ana crying in her crib, in the adjoining room that they called the nursery. "I'll go and see what's wrong."

Jack went over to the baby girl, and after checking her nappy he found that she was hungry. He picked her up swaddled in her blanket, carrying her over to Kate.

"It looks like this little one is hungry. And… we never really talked about it… are we going to bottle-feed her or not?"

"Look, Jack, I'm so tired right now, if I breastfeed her now I'll fall asleep before she's done."

"Couldn't you…"

"No, Jack. Just bottle-feed her for now. I breastfed her a bit in the hospital, and the bottle shouldn't do any harm."

Jack was worried. "Kate, are you sure?"

"Yes, Jack! I'm sure. You know where the bottles are, go and feed her. Just leave me alone." When he hesitated a little, she yelled at him. "Get out, Jack!", which only made little Ana scream louder.

Jack beat a hasty retreat then, trying to soothe Ana as he left the room. When the door closed, Kate lay back against the heaped-up pillows, sighed, and tried to get back to sleep.

Jack, meanwhile, took Ana to the kitchen and prepared a bottle for her. He sat down in the living room as he fed her. As he watched her drink, his thoughts drifted back to Kate, wondering why she had been so snappy towards him and the baby, when earlier at the hospital she had been her normal self, though very tired. He sighed to himself, thinking that it was just the strain of the birth, and that she would be back to normal in a few days.

Kate didn't get "back to normal". After that day, when she came home from the hospital, things just got progressively worse. Most of Jack's time off was spent looking after the children, but when he did see Kate, she was always in bed, wearing an old t-shirt and sweats. He took her food three times a day, but she rarely ate a whole meal, she would just pick at it and leave the rest. He took Ana to her, thinking that maybe seeing the baby would help her, and maybe she would bond with the little girl, but she just pushed them away. She wouldn't even let Jack sleep in the same room any more, so he moved into the spare room.

For three weeks, Jack struggled to look after two young children and the baby, while at the same time trying to help Kate get better, help her get back to normal. But nothing he tried worked, so – beginning to despair of ever succeeding – he called a friend of his from the hospital, a psychiatrist, and asked her to come to the house and speak to Kate. He debated with himself for a moment, wondering if he should tell Kate now, and decided that it couldn't do any harm. The older children were at school, so he quickly checked that Ana was still asleep in her crib, then gingerly knocked on the door of their- no, Kate's – bedroom.

"Yes?"

"It's me. Can I come in?"

"If you must."

"Okay." Jack opened the door, pulled a chair over to the bed and sat down. "Kate, Katie…"

"Don't call me that."  
"What?"

"Don't call me Katie. Seriously, Jack, don't."

"Fine. Kate, I'm worried about you. You don't seem to be yourself, you haven't left the house – no, you've barely left this _room_ for weeks, you ignore the children, especially Ana, and she should be spending the most time with out of everyone."

"I know that."

"Why, Kate? Why are you acting like this?"

"I don't know. But I know I can't look at that baby. It feels like the baby isn't mine. I don't feel any love for her."

"Look, Kate, I'm trying to help you. I called someone from work, from the hospital, and they're going to come and see you next week."

"Why? Is this 'friend' of yours a shrink? Do you think I'm crazy? Are you going to have me taken away, is that it Jack? Is it?"

"NO! No, no-one's going to take you away. No-one thinks you're crazy. She just wants to talk to you, about how you feel since Ana was born."  
"Ana?"

"The baby, Kate. Remember? You told Claire you liked the name."

"Oh, yes. I guess I did."  
"So, will you see this lady from the hospital?"  
"I'll talk to her. Because you asked nicely and you seem tired."

"Good, that's great, Kate, that's wonderful. Is there anything you need at the moment?"

"No. I'll tell you if I think of anything. Now could you leave me alone, please?"

"Of course. I'll check on Ana."

Jack left the room through the nursery, reassuring himself that Ana was still asleep in her crib. He quietly went downstairs to the kitchen and poured a glass of water for himself, putting it down on the table. He sat down, rested his head on his hands, and started to cry. He sat like that for what felt like hours, just sobbing without caring about anything else. When the tears ran finally dry, he just sat at the table, staring at the table-top, wondering if he could survive this, if his marriage would survive, if KATE would survive. He needed someone to talk to, but none of his friends at work would understand, he knew that. He needed someone who had been on that bloody island, someone who would be able to understand. Someone who knew his past.

He would normally call Charlie, but Jack knew the Brit would not be able to help here. Jin was no good either, as they were not close and Jin's English still left a lot to be desired. The other survivors of the crash? He hadn't seen Michael since that day on the Pala dock, and wouldn't confide in him now for all the money in the world. Boone and Eko were dead, he had no idea where Locke was living these days. On the island, he would have spoken to Rose, but he had only a vague idea of where to find her – he thought she and Bernard had gone to live in New York. He thought of Sayid, briefly, but they had had a rather ugly argument at the last 'reunion', so he was out. Everyone else? Ana-Lucia, Libby and Shannon had died on the island, Walt was only a kid, and he didn't feel able to burden Claire or Sun with his thoughts.

There were only two options left. He could speak to Sawyer, but Sawyer was Kate's best friend, and fiercely protective of her, so he would not want a 'shrink', as Kate put it, seeing her. And the final option, the only one left. He needed to find his address book to get the number, and was oddly surprised to see it was an address that was quite near.

Thinking about this person made him think of the day they were rescued. He, Kate and Sawyer had escaped the Others, and – roughly four months after the crash - a ship came looking for them. It later transpired that the whole operation had been organised by one Penelope Widmore, who had insisted on going with the ship to rescue them. Jack smiled as he remembered that day.

_That day, that day started as just another day on the beach. Until Claire spotted the ship on the horizon, and cried out the rest of us, and suddenly everyone was shouting and waving at the ship, trying to attract attention. The ship came closer to the island, and a small boat loaded with people came over to the beach. Desmond was behaving quite oddly, he had run down to the shore and was standing almost knee-deep in water watching the boat. When the boat came close to the shore, some of the people inside jumped out and pushed it up onto the beach. One of those people was a young woman, with quite long, dark-blonde hair loose around her shoulders. She stared at the island behind us for a moment, then looked out at us on the beach, her eyes searching for one particular person. She looked back at the water's edge, saw Desmond standing there in shock, and ran over to him. He took a while to register what was happening, but then his face broke into a broad grin and he moved towards her, ending in a hug. It turned out that Penelope Widmore was the love of his life, and she had been trying to find him for getting on for five years. _

_Penelope – Penny, as she wanted us to call her – told us all that she had come to rescue us and bring us back to civilisation. She even sent some of her team from the ship to the Others' village, offering them the chance to leave the island, and locating Danielle Rousseau as well. Only a few of the Others chose to leave – Alex was reunited with her mother, and they decided to leave together, and Juliet and a few others decided to leave as well. _

After the ship arrived in Sydney, Desmond and Penny announced that they were getting married. Her father wasn't terribly happy about it, so they were moving to the US. Jack had heard they had had a baby a few years back, but aside from reunions they hadn't seen much of each other.

He checked the number in the address book again, and dialled, holding the handset to his ear. It rang a few times, before he heard a familiar Scots accent on the other end.

"Hello?"

"Desmond? It's Jack."

"Jack? Why are you calling me?"

"I… need to talk. You were the only person I thought would understand."

"Uh, okay, brotha, but I'm still a touch confused. What's your problem?"

"It's not really something I want to talk about on the phone."

"You have my address, don't you? We're not that far apart, yea?"

"Yeah, I have your address. Should I come over?"

"Don't you have bairns, Jack? Ya shouldn't leave them. I'll come to you. Pen's out with Lizzie, it's fine."

"Okay, come over."

"I will. I'll leave now, an' I should be at yours in a few hours."

"Thank you, Desmond. I really need this."

"Well, you're a friend, and if ah needed to talk to you you'd help. Only fair. An' I did help you out that day at the stadium."

"Yeah, you did. I guess.. I'll see you in a few hours then."

"Okay then."

As Jack hung up the phone, he slumped back into his chair. He wondered for a fleeting moment if calling Desmond was the right thing to do, but remembered that there was no-one else who would understand.


End file.
